1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to compositions, methods, and devices for containment, mitigation, neutralization and/or clean-up of unwanted dispersals of hazardous material, particularly spills of acidic materials such as hydrogen fluoride-containing compositions.
2. Description of Related Art
Hydrogen fluoride is a well known compound that is used in industry in a variety of processes including in alkylation reactions as a catalyst, in fluorination reactions as a fluorinating agent, in the manufacture of fluorides, in the separation of uranium isotopes, and in the production of fluorine containing plastics. It is well known that hydrogen fluoride is a volatile, extremely hazardous substance. Moreover, the high vapor pressure of hydrogen fluoride renders it readily aerosolizable.
Various compositions and methods have been known to be useful for the clean-up of hazardous materials, particularly acid-containing materials, and more particularly materials which contain hydrogen fluoride. However, many of these compositions and methods have certain disadvantages.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,383,868′ Braley relates to a method of treatment of spillages of hazardous chemicals in a liquid form, and in particular to a method of treatment of such spillages for controlling and clean-up of a spill of hydrofluoric acid. The method disclosed in this patent involves the application to a spill of a solid particulate mixture containing both polyacrylamide and a polymer or copolymer of an alkyl(alk)acrylate. The material is said to immobilize the spillage and reduce the evolution of fumes from the spillage, and is said to be more effective in the treatment of spillages of many hazardous liquid chemicals than is either the polyacrylamide or the polyalkyl(alk)acrylate when used alone. The U.S. Pat. No. 4,383,868 indicates that the polymer or copolymer of the alkyl(alk)acrylate may be a polymer derived from one or more alkyl(alk)acrylates, e.g. methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, butyl methacrylate or ethyl methacrylate, or it may be a copolymer of a substantial proportion of units derived from one or more alkyl(alk)acrylates, e.g. at least 80 mole %, and units derived from one or more ethylenically unsaturated monomers copolymerisable therewith. The patent teaches that the amount of polymer or copolymer of the alkyl(alk)acrylate should not be present in the composition in an amount that is greater than 80% by weight of the particulate mixture used in the treatment of hazardous chemicals.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,865,761′ Mandel et al. relates to methods and compositions for neutralizing and solidifying hazardous organic spills. The disclosed composition, in addition to optional ingredients, contains about 5 to 30% of absorptive clay and about 10 to 50% portland cement. Such compositions and methods have the disadvantages of being relatively heavy to transport to the site of the hazardous spill as well as the difficulty associated with cleanup and/or recovery of the hazardous material once it is neutralized and absorbed into the disclosed composition.
While prior methods may have achieved some degree of success, applicants believe that several disadvantages exist and that there is a need for better methods, devices and compositions. For example, applicants believe that a need continues to exist for clean-up and treatment materials and methods in which the treating materials have advantageous properties, such as higher capacity to absorb, retain, immobilize, etc. the hazardous material, such as HF, per unit mass of treatment material. The present invention satisfies these needs among others.